At First Sight
by Atari Atagashi-Chan
Summary: YAOI! /YondKaka/ Minato had never even wanted a genin team, nevertheless one with two famous clan members in it. How in the world was he supposed to teach to their level? And this boy...what made him tick? He was determined to find out. somewhat angsty
1. Enter: Minato Namikaze

_**At First Sight**_

A/N: Wowww...This was very poorly written. And I had forgotten about it. So I rewrote it by fixing some errors and switching out the Yondaime's name for his actual name (since this fic was originally written before Masashi had revealed his name). I think I might work on this fic a tidbit...maybeh. Lol.

YAOI = MALExMALE [don't like, don't read.]  
_This is NOT in any way affiliated with Kakashi Gaiden. It is AU, in a sense, yet not exactly. Same setting, same time, different occurences, slightly strayed personalities.  
Basically, my version of Kakashi Gaiden._

PAIRINGS: YondKaka with slight hints of KakaObi and fatherly/teacher-ly type hints of JiraYond.

_

* * *

The first time I saw Kakashi wasn't when he was assigned to my team. I had known his father… well, not personally, but then again… who didn't know the infamous Konoha's White Fang? I remember that day… it had been love at first sight…_

Knock Knock

"Yes?" The Hokage answered from behind the two large wooden doors to his office. It was a gruff grunt from the old man, something normal and expected. It just so conveniently happened that Minato Namikaze was in that room, too, two other nin beside him. A pair of ANBU appeared from behind the door, a young boy around the age of six with glistening silver hair between them. Minato blinked, cocking his head in confusion.

"What is it…?" The Sandaime inquired, apathy slurring his words.

"Go on… tell him what you did," One of the ANBU commanded, pushing the boy forward. The child sighed aggravatedly and pursed his lips shut, his eyes reflecting utter boredom.

"Kakashi? What did you do this time…?" Sarutobi asked, leaning back in his chair and taking a lengthened drag on his pipe. The child remained silent. After a couple moments of this, the Hokage spoke. "You need to let the dead rest, son." He whispered, referring to the young nin's father. The boy perked up, a swirling turmoil of hate, anger, frustration, and terror ridden in his expression. Immediately, the child shot glare, deadly enough to kill, towards the Hokage.

Minato had heard of the mans' death. He had also heard that there still remained one Hatake to the clan. 'This child must be...' The blonde allowed his mind to drift, keeping both cerulean orbs locked on the smaller nin.

The Sandaime got to his feet with a huff.

"Kitsune, Ookami… you may leave the Hatake child in my care, thank you…" He commanded in a soft whisper.

"Ossu," The two ANBU members complied and were gone, leaving the Hokage, Kakashi, Minato, and the two other jounin in the office alone.

"Hatake?" Minato heard the nin beside him whisper to the other. "I thought that clan had died off when Konoha's White Fang died…"

"No, I heard there was still his son left… but those are just rumors…" The nin opposite the the one speaking replied quietly. The six-year-old shot them the same glare he had the Hokage, gritting his teeth beneath an onyx mask.

"Yeah…" The boy spoke, his voice light and somewhat effeminate. "I'm the last Hatake… what of it?" He growled, his fists curled in a clench to the point of bleeding. Minato's eyes widened slightly as he noted the boy's body trembling slightly with anger.

Sarutobi walked to the boys' side, laying a gentle hand on the childs' shoulder to quell his suffering.

"Don't hold it against them, Kakashi." He whispered solemnly. The child jumped away, flinging a single kunai in the Hokage's direction. Needless to say, the old man caught it with ease, seemingly expecting such a reaction.

"Don't touch me…" The child growled, drawing two shuriken from his holster.

"Now, now…," The elder whispered, dropping his guard completely. The boy tensed at this, realizing he wasn't being taken seriously. "There's no need to fight me, Kakashi-kun. I'm not your enemy and you know that."

The child, namely Kakashi, dropped his expression completely. After a couple seconds of debating the Sandaime's words, he released a shaky sigh and dropped both shuriken back to their holster.

"There…" Sarutobi smiled, taking one stride towards the silver-haired nin. Kakashi took one step back, taking a defensive stance along with his step. The Hokage sighed. "Kakashi, please-"

"I don't trust you." Kakashi stated calmly, his expression unchanged. His silver eyes stared lazily into the Sandaime's, an underlying aggravation tracing each pigment.

"Don't trust Konoha's Hokage?" One of the jounin scoffed from the sideline. "How can you not? He's our leader, our protector. To not trust Sandaime-sama is-"

No sooner had the words left his mouth was Kakashi there and ready to punch him. Naturally, adult jounin never expected a mere six-year-old child to have chuunin level skills… if not even jounin, so no guard was up to put the man on the defensive. Kakashi took full advantage of this, knowing he'd been underestimated, and took one hard swing right to the elder nins stomach, sending him back into the wall. Needless to say, Minato and the other jounin stiffened. Kakashi prepared to spring onto the nin and bite him, but Minato knew it was his place to step in and grabbed the child around the waist, bringing him up by his stomach and putting him in a lock-hold.

"Lemme go!" Kakashi struggled with the elder nins' grip, but, eventually, found it completely useless to even continue such a hopeless struggle and ended up giving up, panting hysterically as he let himself fall limp in the other's arms. He knew the man holding him was far above his own advanced level, as much as he hated to admit it. Minato smiled as he felt Kakashi's body weaken in his grasp, his head helplessly falling back to the elder male's chest, heated breath coming in slow pants. "Damn…it…" He growled between breaths, teeth clenched.

_That very next day… I inquired on Sarutobi exactly why the poor child had such an angry aura to him. In detail, he explained…_

"Well, Minato-san, you'll have to understand this… Kakashi, normally, is a very monochromatic child. After his mother passed away, it was only him and his father left to the Hatake name. It was hard enough then… but, now he's all alone. I'm sure you've heard of Sakumo-sama's death, yes?" The elder man paused, tagging a drag on his pipe and releasing with liquid ease. "Well…" He began again, voice renewed. "Sakumo was Kakashi's father. Needless to say, Kakashi was devastated. I think just about anyone would be, seeing their own beloved father kill themselves right before their eyes. So, I'd say it's understandable that ever since that day, he's lost all feeling other than the hate, anger, and depression he's kept inside. I think, even if he doesn't show it, the boy must've gone through some trauma when he realized he was the very last of his clan. In all truth, I think getting therapy and quitting the ninja lifestyle is the best thing that could happen for him. Although, as you saw yesterday, Kakashi-kun is a very rare case. He's nearly good enough to be a jounin while he's still in the academy. He's a true genius, to say the least. But, you know… He's being appointed a genin tomorrow…" Sarutobi stopped there, a weary, smitten smile perking the corners of his lips up. Minato blinked, still trying to comprehend everything simultaneously. Then, suddenly, it hit him.

"Wait… y-you're asking me…to…?"

"Lead a genin cell? Yes, indeed I am."

The blonde was speechless. Never in his life had he had a team of genin. Ever. Nor did he ever consider himself patient, caring, and nurturing enough to lead one. To assist the future of Konoha was a big resposibility; one Minato wasn't sure he could handle.

_So, I went to my own sensei, Jiraiya for advice. I think he helped me… somewhat…_

"Jiraiya-sensei…?"

"Hn?" The sannin spun on his heel and beamed down at his former student. "Well, well, you look awfully sulky… what's on your mind?" The white-haired man asked.

"Er… Sarutobi-sama…asked me… to…er…honestly... I can't do this, sensei..." Minato bit his lower lip, averting both cerulean orbs to the right. The sannin blinked.

"What? Minato...? You're not making any se-"

"Sarutobi-sama asked me to lead a genin cell!"

Jiraiya paused, eyes wide for a second, jaw slightly ajar, before breaking out into hysterical laughter. "Bahahahahaha! Minato...really, Is that all?" The blonde made a sound of protest, clearly annoyed by the other's reaction.

"IS THAT ALL!? Sure, that's easy for you to say! You've done it a million times! I've NEVER done it! Hell, I'm a virgin at leading anything, nevertheless Konoha's youth! So, how can you just say 'is that all?'!" Minato complained angrily, tears rubbing at the edges of his eyes as his voice threatened to break. Jiraiya snickered.

"You're so hot-headed, kiddo. Honestly. Calm down and stop worrying, will you? You're gonna be fine, trust me," The sannin smiled. "You're a better leader than you think, Minato. Ne, so, the old man tell you who you're being assigned to yet?" The blonde perked, shoulders dropping in defeat.

"…that's the problem…" He sighed. "I'm being assigned to two famous clan members… an Uchiha and a Hatake…"

"Ehhh?" Jiraiya exclaimed, a hint of jealously in his voice. "The last remaining Hatake member and a child from the famous Uchiha clan? Dear kami-sama… Maybe that is a bit over your head, Mina-chan."

Minato shot him a glare.

"I'm not a kid anymore, sensei." The blonde growled, blushing slightly. "Couldn't you at least give me some tips...?" Jiraiya smiled as he heard the blonde mumble 'and maybe give some encouragement' under his breath.

"Damn, you're too cute when you're angry~." He joked, giving his former student a light lick across the cheek. Minato sprung back about a foot.

"Wha-wha-what was that?!" The blonde spluttered semi-annoyedly, noticably flustered. The other half of him wasn't even sure of the emotion it harboured. Arousal? Nah, probably embarrasment. Jiraiya snickered, noting this in his smirk.

"Oh, nothing, nothing~," The sannin sang, smirk widening into a teeth-revealing smile. "You know I think you'll do fine, right?"

Minato blinked. After a moment of comprehension, a small smile of gratitude creased his expression.

"Right…"

_And, so, I ended up getting some reassurance (I guess you could call it) from my former sensei. I was pretty grateful… but… I couldn't stop thinking about that lick. For god's sake, what in the world kind of pervert was he? I could have sworn he was only interested in girls._

_...And, no, I did not just look down to check for breasts. Though, the next day sure proved interesting enough to get my mind off it.  
_

"Minato-san, these are the genin you will be watching. Make sure to read over their bios pretty decently and look into them before you meet them tomorrow morning, alright?" The Sandaime grunted, thrusting some papers at the blonde, who caught them and hesitated before turning to exit the room.

"D-domo…" Minato stuttered blatantly, clearly caught off guard, as he whisked himself from the Sandaime's sight.

* * *

A sigh escaped the blondes' mouth as he sat down and looked over the profiles.

"Rin… Obito…and… Kakashi-kun… hmm…" He whispered to himself, reading their names aloud as he skimmed their bios prior to reading them. "Tomorrow should be interesting…"

_So, I looked over all their bios and even memorized a bit of each one in case I ever felt like teasing them with some fun facts. It seemed to me that it'd be pretty easy… but, from what I had seen of Kakashi then was enough to get me worried that I wouldn't be able to teach up to all their standards. While Kakashi stood at jounin level, Rin and Obito were, naturally, remaining at an advanced genin level, if not chuunin. I wondered over and over how in the hell Sarutobi expected me to do all this. Couldn't he have given them to a more experienced instructor? It would have made so much more sense! Ahhh, Hokage-sama, why meee...!?  
_

* * *

"On your way to meet your new team, eh?" Jiraiya mused early the next day. The blonde was much less than thrilled to see his former sensei there to greet him that day. He was already nervous enough as it was. Having Jiraiya there to get him riled wasn't something he exactly needed.

"Yeah…" Minato sighed and panned both cerulean orbs up at the peaking sun; heated rays painting the red, orange, and purple sky a brighter colour, slowly morphing it into it's normal blue-ish hue of daybreak. Jiraiya looked over, his normal cheesy smile not plastered across his face for once.

"…you're gonna be okay…" He muttered. The blonde blinked and looked over to his former sensei.

"Huh…?"

Jiraiya smiled and kissed Minato lightly on the cheek.

"Trust me." The sannin whispered lovingly. Minato blushed wildly and avoided eye contact, looking desperately to the side and taking an unusual interest in the cicada struggling to make it's way across the path.

"Y-you didn't have t-to kiss me, sensei…" He whispered embarrassedly, the light hue of pink across his cheeks burning brighter with his softspoken words. Jiraiya snickered, returning to his normal chipper self.

"Alright, alright...you're an adult now, after all. I suppose I should just go a little farthe-"

"NO!" Minato cut him off, knowing already what he was going to say. Jiraiya smiled.

"Haha, well, go on, kiddo. Your teams a'waitin'." He laughed. The blonde sighed and stopped.

"I'm...not...a KID!" The blonde growled. Jiraiya held back snickers.

"Good luuuuck, Mina-chaaaan~! You're gonna need it~!" The sannin sung playfully as he danced off. Minato couldn't help but be grateful for the end of the morning's calamity.

"Thanks, sensei..." He growled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

He could see his three new students already awaiting his arrival. A shiver fell through his spine as he remembered exactly where he was going and what today was. Although he pushed confidence to the outside, he was cowering in fear at his new responsibility on the inside.

"Well… it's now or never…" He whispered to himself as he leapt atop the veranda.

Meanwhile…

"C'mon, Hatake! At least arm-wrestle me!" The Uchiha growled, making flailing movements with his arms accompanied by an aggravated expression. Kakashi stayed still, an expression of boredom across his face.

"Jeez… Obito-kun, stop it, will you? Leave him alone, he obviously doesn't want to." The kunoichi of the team, Rin, tugged at the Uchiha's cheek annoyedly.

"Itaiii! Lemme go!" Obito wailed, struggling with the female. "I wanna fight that damn Hatake and prove that I'm better!"

"Now, that's enough! Will you quit it!?" Rin growled as she stepped between the two. The silver-haired nin got to his feet, eyes closed. Obito perked.

"Heh… finally gonna face me, Hatake?" He growled egotistically. Kakashi didn't bother to look up.

"You're not worth sparing a punch on." He whispered before walking to the other side of the veranda in silence. Rin swallowed, brows furrowing in concern.

"Kakashi-kun…" She whispered worriedly.

"Why I oughta-" Obito clenched his teeth, pushed Rin out of the way, and lunged at Kakashi, who evaporated before he could a punch. "What!?" The Uchiha gasped as he hit the floor. Kakashi reappeared beside Rin, a simple twig in the place of where he had been.

"Substitution… if you can't even manage to comprehend that, then you shouldn't be here. Just being a Uchiha doesn't make you special…" Kakashi whispered furiously, a growl to his tone. Rin took one step back, intimidated by what might happen next. The Hatake turned to Obito, a death-glare to match his unworldly devil-like tone.

Rin blinked as she noted three kunai laced between Kakashi's fingers, clenched in a fist behind his back.

"Obito, don't-!" Rin started, knowing what would happen. Kakashi put a hand out to stop her.

"Don't get involved…" He growled through clenched teeth. Rin cringed at his serious, chilling tone. She had only heard that tone from full-grown adults, never from a mere child. "If that idiot wants to fight me, let him. I'll beat him down and show him just how special being an Uchiha really is…" Kakashi's icy eyes narrowed. Obito swallowed as a small shudder of fear ran the length of him.

"Y-yeah!? Well…" The Uchiha took a deep breath, gathering his courage, and took two shuriken from his holster. "We'll see about that!" He yelled, hurling them in Kakashi direction. Before Obito could blink, the Hatake had pushed Rin out of harm'[s way and leapt into the air above the other genin, hurling three kunai at three vital points towards Obito. The Uchiha froze. Kakashi was dead serious.

"Obito!" Rin shouted from the floor.

_Klang!_

Kakashi back-flipped and landed smoothly on the floor a little ways behind Obito. The Uchiha was fine, despite barely breathing from shock.

"What?" The silver-haired nin turned on his heels to see what had blocked his swift attack.

That's when they met their new sensei.

* * *

A/N: Special thanks to Allyon Everstone for reminding me this fic existed, lol.


	2. Encounter

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you read the first chapter before I posted this chapter, I rewrote/edited it.

Enjoy.

* * *

_Both cerulean orbs flew open at the sight before me. There was no way he was actually doing what I thought he was! The way he was throwing those kunai…it was set to kill, not injure or immobilize. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was true, it was happening. Would he dodge? I didn't have time to find out. I had to stop it!_

The blonde leapt in between the oncoming kunai and whipped out one of his own, three swift movements sending the opposing weapons to the ground. Minato heard a thud as Obito fell to his knees behind him, small gasps of breath escaping his lips in panic. Even a mere genin could tell how lethal that could have been.

The jounin turned, watching as Kakashi landed swiftly on the floor behind the Uchiha only to spin around to lock eyes with the blonde. A smile traced Minato's lips as both icy silver orbs flashed open with surprise.

"Well, now," The man purred. Though an artful smile was ridden on his face, both azure oculus were set on the boy with a serious, dominating air about them. "That's not a very nice way to greet your teammates, is it… Kakashi?"

The genin furthest away from him tensed, lips parting beneath an onyx mask as he clenched his teeth slightly. Minato felt a hint of pain strike him inwardly. The boy harboured so much hate, so much anger…there wasn't any room for anything else.

"Are you alright, Obito-kun?" The blonde smiled warmly as he knelt beside the petrified genin, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And you, Rin-chan?" He continued, looking back to the girl on the floor.

"I-I'm fine." She nodded, voice tender and worried, eyes curious. Obito growled, looking to the right impotently.

"Damnit…" He hissed, fists clenching.

"Are you our sensei?" Minato heard a small voice inquire. He looked back to Kakashi, eyes masking the underlying emotion he was holding. For a moment, both orbs locked with the boys' and the two shared a second of understanding.

'So we meet again. Must be fate. But, let me warn you, you ever try something like that again and you'll be getting a punishment you could never even dream of.' The blonde seemed to say.

'Hmph,' Kakashi would respond. 'I'd like to see you try.'

A smile framed Minato's lips, lightening the mood as he helped the Uchiha to his feet. "Yes, indeed I am. And from this point on…" The man took steps towards the kunoichi of the squad, helping her to her feet as well. "We will be a team. Team seven, to be exact." That infamous fox-like grin spread the blonde's already wide smile. Kakashi twitched.

_So, it wasn't exactly the meeting I had planned…We continued the day with introductions. You know, like…Hi, my name is? Yeah, that sort of thing. Just so we could know the basics of everyone. Even with the little information Kakashi gave me, I felt he had said nothing. Obito, on his right, was now clearly uncomfortable to even be in the same room as the Hatake. I was hoping that'd wear off with time._

_I ended the day with a cheery goodbye and a mandatory invitation to a little "practice test" tomorrow morning at 9am sharp. Though, at first, I was thinking I'd make it an anything-goes type battle. Yet, after today's incident, I wasn't sure that was such a good idea. I didn't know if I could handle this…in fact, I knew I couldn't. This was way over my head…_

_After wandering aimlessly in thought for more than a few hours, I finally found myself unlocking the door to my apartment. I felt strange…like something was missing. No sooner had I thought that did the missing part of my day fall into place._

"Sooo, how'd it go, kiddo?" The blonde didn't have to turn around to know who it was. He said nothing, pausing with the key in the door. "Eh…that bad, huh?"

"Jiraiya-sensei…" The words fell out of his mouth in a depressed whisper. There was another pause.

"…Can I come in?"

Minato sighed, glancing to his right where the sannin had only appeared just moments ago. "Sure." He responded apathetically, pushing the door open and traipsing inside. Jiraiya paused, watching as his former student walked gloomily into the three-room apartment. Concern furrowed his brow upwards.

"Ne, Mina-chan…?" As he shut the door behind himself, Jiraiya looked to the other, who was bathed in the light of the setting sun through the obscurity that was a lone rectangular window. The blonde looked saddened. No, more than saddened. It was so much deeper than that. It was defeat. A defeat that purged the soul. "Minato…" The elder's voice came out sullen and soft as he walked delicately over to the other. "You can tell me, you know." He whispered, running a hand through glittering golden strands. Minato let a shudder run through him before turning and burying himself in the other's arms, sobs causing the entirety of him to tremble as he clenched his fists around the fabric that was Jiraiya's clothing. The sannin let out a breath, hugging the smaller male in a secure embrace. "It's alright, kiddo." There was nothing else he could say. He hadn't a clue what the man was crying so hysterically over.

"I-I-I…" The blonde stuttered, voice shaky and erratic. "I…I c-can't. I can't do this, damnit!" Every syllable rose in amplification till it peaked at the last word in a yell. Jiraiya put a hand on the other's head, petting him quietly.

"Can't do what? Take on this responsibility?"

Minato stiffened, sucking in a staggered breath. Silently, he nodded. Jiraiya let out a small chuckle, causing the blonde to look up, anger laced through both bloodshot eyes.

"Wh-what the hell is so funny? There's _nothing_ humorous about this!" Minato screamed weakly.

"You know…" Jiraiya started, taking the younger male by the waist and pulling him to the bed so the two were sitting beside each other. "I said the same thing when I was told to take on you guys."

Minato blinked, making a small sound of surprise. "Huh?" Jiraiya smiled.

"Yup. Didn't think there was gonna be any way I could handle your wild little self. Didn't think I was good enough to nurture Konoha's youth. Yet…" The man paused, looking sideways at Minato. "I'd say I did pretty a good job, don't you?"

The blonde's lips parted as Jiraiya wiped a few stray tears from his face.

"You can do this, Minato. I know you can." Placing a kiss on the younger male's forehead, the sannin got to his feet. "I don't know what happened today, but I believe in you, kiddo. Don't ever give up."

_I watched through a blurry haze as Jiraiya left me. Those words meant so much to me, I don't think sensei even realized it. In fact, I had debated on going back to Sarutobi-sama and asking for him to rethink this. Though, what Jiraiya had told me changed my mind._

_The next day, when I awoke, determination overrode any other emotion I was harbouring at that point. I could do this; sensei had said so. I just had to keep faith…and control. Though they were advanced for their age, Kakashi especially, I knew I was still ahead of them. After I gauged their abilities today, I'd know where I stood; what I could teach them, what I could review, how to teach them to advance their style, and, most of all, instill in them the lessons of life. That was something so rarely taught to kids without experience. I wouldn't allow them to go on ignorant._

_Yet, that would come in time. For now, I had to focus on one thing: getting them to think as a team._

"Alrighty," Minato beamed down on the three, all looking equally tired. "Today, we're going to be learning a lesson. Though, it's your job to figure out what the lesson is, okay? So let's all keep that in mind. For now, however, let's see what you can do, ne?" His smile dropped to a serious demeanor causing the three to perk up a bit, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Today," The blonde started once more. "We have a goal." With that, the man held out his hand, opening his palm to reveal two shiny silver bells. The three genin blinked with surprise. "Your goal is to obtain a bell by sunset."

After several quarrels and slight hints of confusion from the trio, Minato set the clock. And, with that, all three leapt off in different directions.

The "test" had begun.


	3. The Test Begins

Two opaque silver eyes strayed genuinely to the right, boredom surfacing in the midst of them. The sweet scent of flowers was about their holder, but he took no notice; crouched in the middle of a rather large patch of daisies. He was short enough to be able to stand in the tall weeds and not be seen, but he took no chances.

His objective was clear; obtain a bell, don't let anyone take it.

Kakashi sighed beneath his onyx mask. Above anything he hated, waiting had to take number one on that list. He knew his sensei was approaching…slowly. Definitely slowly. It made the boy rather irritable, seeing as Minato didn't seem to be taking this seriously. There he was, just strolling through the field humming idly to himself. The Hatake twitched, withholding a scoff. Not being taken seriously had to take place number two on his list of most hated things.

As soon as the boy could see each strand of glittering blonde clearly, he knew his sensei was close enough. Without hesitation, the boy crouched into a stance prior to leaping onto a prey. Though, hesitating for that instant lost him his chance.

"GOTCHA!" A loud yell echoed through the field as a flash of orange and black sprung into the air from a tree top. Kakashi froze, a mild curse grazing his lips. That damn Obito had stolen his spotlight once more.

_So, the test had begun. I was kinda expecting to get attacked right off the bat, but, surprisingly, it wasn't until right now I got attacked…and he even announced it? I thought Uchiha were supposed to be more tactful than this. Though, maybe he was being tactful. I wasn't exactly paying attention, nor did I have any guard up or any sort of defenses for that matter. Maybe I should take this a little more seriously…Nah, they're just genin. Only one I really needed to worry about is Kakashi, right?…Right?_

Two sharp kunai flew aimlessly towards Minato.

"Is this really all?" The blonde asked, smile perking his lips as he deflected them rather easily. "C'mon, Obito. This is your chance. Give it your all!" Encouragement is key. That's always what he had believed.

"Tch! You think I'ma hold back, sensei?" Obito laughed, landing swiftly on his right foot. The second he felt contact with the earth, the boy lunged towards his sensei, flinging four shuriken in his direction. Minato shook his head, disappointed in a rather joking manner as he deflected them as well, only to feel a slight rush of air as the Uchiha dove at his feet, doing a summersault under him and springing up into the air behind him.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The blonde only had time to feel the heat and jump out of the way, jumping backwards into a back flip above the roaring flames, as the genin released his jutsu.

"Well, well, well~" Minato sang, landing in a low tree-branch. "Gotta admit, kiddo, that was pretty sneaky. But I'm afraid scaring me away won't win you a bell." As the blonde released his palm, the pair of shiny silver bells fell; dangling from his fingers. The fox-like grin widened into a malicious smile. "And neither will hiding."

Kakashi felt a shiver run the length of him as a clone of their sensei tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to leap out of hiding and into the clearing near Obito. He had been so focused and surprised at seeing Obito use a jutsu that he had unconsciously let his guard down completely. Not soon after, the two heard a small yelp from above them as the kunoichi of the team jumped in beside them, clearly having shared the same experience as Kakashi.

Minato laughed, twirling the bells on his finger.

"C'mon guys, come and get 'em! They're right here!" The jounin called, cerulean orbs glimmering with a playful aura. Kakashi twitched as Obito went to make a move.

The Hatake growled as the other leapt into the air towards Minato, but didn't stay to watch what unfolded. Grabbing Rin around the waist and the mouth, the boy sprung back into the field.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Rin spluttered when released. Kakashi didn't respond, pushing her against a tree roughly. "Kakashi-kun!" The kunoichi exclaimed as the Hatake took a step back, focusing his chakra into a thin, yet durable string around the other.

"I'll be back for you," He whispered, finishing tying her to the tree. "…if I remember."

"What!?" Rin gasped, struggling slightly. She knew if she struggled enough, she could break free. The strings weren't pulled too tightly. Yet, she didn't, knowing the other had to have a purpose. "…I really hope I'm right about him having a purpose." She sighed as the small figure that was Kakashi faded off back towards the clearing.

* * *

"Henge no Jutsu." The words carried gently on the subtle breeze as the transformation took place. The boy's lips perked in a smirk, now ablaze with a hint of gloss. "Perfect." Kakashi whispered, voice picking up a pitch similar to Rin's.

Meanwhile…

The Uchiha swung his fist with as much power behind it as he could muster in the blondes direction. Though, as Minato had been doing for what seemed like the past half hour, he dodged swiftly, dangling the bells temptingly in front of the young nin.

"Haaraaaagh!" Obito yelled, finally getting fed up, and tired, with this hit and miss tactic he had been enduring. "That's it!" Finding some source of energy, the boy leapt at Minato, hoping to pin him and steal a bell. Unexpectedly, the boy landed on his sensei, causing the two to fall over, only to find a mere clone evaporating into dust as it hit the ground. The Uchiha sat there for a moment, taking in the effect. Then, the boy twitched. "I've been fighting with a clone this whole time!?!"

* * *

Kakashi, now in the form of Rin (thanks to the Henge), dashed silently through the treetops, attempting with all his might to sense the elder nin's chakra. Catching a hint of it, the boy sped up, leaping from tree branch to tree branch till he caught a glimmer of gold in the distance, slowing himself to a halt and lowering everything he could as to not be sensed.

A slue of hand seals graced the boy's nimble fingers. He had never tried this technique before nor had he seen it, but he knew the hand signs, knew the chakra required, and knew, ultimately, that it was a rather difficult technique to learn. Yet, his specialty was genjutsu- so, he figured, why not try it.

"Kokuangyou no Jutsu…" Kakashi whispered, praying this would work to some extent as his seals landed in the form of the tiger.

"Hm?" Minato blinked, looking up towards where he felt the large source of chakra emitting from. "Rin…?" Both brows furrowed as he looked through a veil of an oncoming mist of shadow. The man stopped suddenly, swallowing. "Wait a minute…this is A-level jutsu…"

Kakashi winced, feeling a drain from the black darkness technique. He couldn't even believe he was actually doing it…somewhat. A veil of shadow was better than nothing, he figured. Using the element of surprise to his advantage, the nin leapt throughout the dark mist, flinging kunai and shuriken as fast as possible from all directions. Minato's eyes narrowed, a sharp stinging sensation grazing his cheek and alerting him to the attack, allowing him to deflect or dodge as many as he could.

"Kakashi?" The man asked, taken aback as the mist began to fade.

'_Damnit…'_ Kakashi growled to himself, still in Rin's form. He knew it wouldn't have lasted long. Actually producing anything the first time using it was still one hell of a surprise to him. Especially seeing as he had only heard about it before. As the blackness vanished nearly entirely, Kakashi leapt from the shadows, littering the ground with makibishi before hurling himself from the now spike-ridden floor at his sensei, reaching out to grab for a bell.

_I barely had a moment to blink before the kid was practically on top of me. How he was able to pull off and maintain a Henge, then an A-level genjutsu, and still manage to be laying out a trap of makibishi, however simple it was, whilst flinging kunai and shuriken left and right at me, nevertheless jumping in to get a bell, I'll never know. I had to admit, he was good. Much better than I thought. Though, from the looks of his Kokuangyou, he was still just a novice. Thank god for that. I didn't want to know what would have happened if he hadn't have been…_

_Sensing him at only the very last moment, I just barely had enough time to take a step to the side, being wary to not step on a makibishi, and grab him around the waist mid-jump, pulling him to my front in a stop and draping his slender form over one arm._

"Care to release the Henge? I look like a child molester holding Rin like this." Minato laughed. Kakashi growled in his arms, blush grazing his cheeks as he did as he was told, transforming back to the small, silver-haired male he was. The boy was out of breath, a good sixty to eighty percent of his energy gone from so much quick movement, tactful thinking, and high-level jutsu. He had never used so much chakra in one sitting. It was most definitely draining.

The boy reached weakly to Minato's side, attempting to grab at a bell like a lazy cat. The blonde chuckled, holding out his hand to put the bells at arms length away from Kakashi. "Uh uh uh, that's cheating, kiddo." Minato smiled at the panting genin in his arm. "You gotta work for this."

"…gimme…" Kakashi growled in a whimper of a tone, reaching once more; slowly, weakly; causing Minato to laugh even more.

"No, no, no~" The blonde sang, clearly amused. "Though, I really should give you one. That was pretty impressive," The elder nin admitted, wiping his free hand across the cut on his cheek. "You actually landed a hit... Ne, where'd you learn that Kokuangyou? You're not supposed to know jutsus like that at your level." Though he attempted to keep a cheery tone, each syllable dropped a level in pitch till one could tell it was more concern than anything by the end of Minato's inquiry. Kakashi stiffened in the other's arms, giving up on his plight to grab a bell.

"I didn't." He breathed solidly, glancing at all the makibishi on the ground. He felt the urge to smile. He had, indeed, done a pretty badass job. He couldn't help but feel proud to be the first one to land a hit on their sensei. "I winged it." The bluntness in each syllable caused the amusement to fall back into place on Minato's face.

"Did you, really?" He asked in a low tone, eyes held steadfast and unblinking on the other.

"Put me down." Kakashi demanded, fists tightening with what little strength he had left.

Minato blinked. "Oh? And let you fall helplessly onto all these spikes? I think not." The man readjusted the smaller nin in his arm, looking for a wide, low tree branch to jump safely to. He felt Kakashi twitch at the word 'helpless' and realized what a negative effect it had on him. Yet, truth was truth. "You're completely out of chakra kiddo, don't push yourself. Doing something like that must have drained you, I'm sure… Hmm, aha!" Spotting a stubby low-lying branch, the jounin tucked both bells into his pocket and leapt up, setting the silver haired nin down on the wood. Minato kneeled to match the boy's height and placed both hands around the other's waist, completely engulfing his small frame, to keep him balanced. Kakashi made a small noise as he steadied himself, chest heaving. He felt like giving in and just falling back entirely, but with his sensei present, he couldn't allow himself to conform to such humiliating thoughts. "Happy now?" Minato asked, smiling as he allowed both friendly cerulean orbs to pierce a pair of stern, piqued silver.

A small huff from the boy was enough to tell the other he was not anywhere near satisfied.

Small yellowish rays of light beamed in through the emerald leaves, causing a glint of silver from the blonde's pocket to catch Kakashi's eyes. Silently, he held out a hand and stared at the other, locking eyes. Minato blinked.

"You obviously haven't figured out the point of this exercise yet, have you?" The elder nin sighed, shaking his head. The Hatake's brow furrowed upwards in confusion.

"The point…" Kakashi started, voice low and husky with exhaustion. "…is to complete the mission. And completing the mission means getting a bell. Therefore, the point is to obtain a bell."

Minato smiled. "Hmm, well…how 'bout you lay here and rest a bit before trying again. I'm not going to just hand it over, ya'know." Laying the boy down gently, the blonde took a moment to run his eyes over the breathless nin.

With that, Kakashi watched as Minato removed a strangely marked kunai from his holster, throwing it off into the distance at a near untraceable speed. "Oh, and by the way… Try thinking on that 'point' again, while you're at it, because you're about as far opposite as anything, kiddo." With a small wink, Minato disappeared the minute the word 'Hiraishin' had grazed his lips.

* * *

"Damn clones…Damn flowers…Damn being shorter than tall flowers…damn sun being bright…damn it…in general…" Obito muttered angrily, trudging through the seemingly endless field of flowers. Jumping up, he could see only slightly over the top, only to catch a glimpse of more flowers along with a seemingly endless path of, indeed, flowers. "Ahhh, where am I!? Todo, I don't think we're in Konoha anymore…"

* * *

"Sooo, this's where you were, eh?"

Rin blinked, awakening from her daze and glancing up to the voice. "Huh? Umm, yes?" She hesitated, giving her sensei a friendly smile. Minato warmly returned it, freeing her from Kakashi's chakra strings.

"He even used some chakra for string and withheld it…Amazing."

"What?" Rin asked, cocking her head in confusion as she took a step down. The blonde shook his head.

"Ah, nothing, nothing…oh~" Poking his tongue into his cheek, Minato grabbed a bell, holding it out to Rin. "You want it?"

The kunoichi stiffened, eyes widening. "…ye…yes?" She questioned, hesitantly taking it from him. When nothing happened, she looked to the other. "Why? I thought-"

"I know what I said," Minato started, smile still aptly positioned on his face. "However, I'm wanting to experiment a bit." Twirling the Hiraishin kunai on his finger, he knelt and tapped it to the ground, checking to see if Obito or Kakashi were anywhere around them. He couldn't feel a trace of chakra. "So…" He started, shoving the kunai into it's designated holster. "Figured it out yet?"

Rin blinked, startled out of her trance of confusion at what the blonde was doing. "Figured out what yet?"

"The point of this exercise."

Rin paused, putting a finger to her lip in thought. "Ermm," She shifted slightly before both auburn eyes lit up with enlightenment. "Wait a minute…is this exercise…this is for teamwork, isn't it?"

The infamous fox-like grin plastered the blonde's mouth into a teeth-revealing smile. "Righto! And for getting that right, you receive that bell as your prize!"

Rin's lips parted slightly. "So…this experiment…you're trying to get Kakashi and Obito to work together to get the last bell, right?"

Minato smiled, looking out through the trees. "Hmm, I wonder."

_I only realized then that I was picking up sensei's habit of calling everyone younger than me 'kiddo'. It made me shudder a bit at the thought. Though I still thought this was way, way, _way_ over my head, there was no turning back now. I had a strong feeling Kakashi and Obito were both too polar of opposites, or maybe even too blinded by greed and selfishness, to even think about working together. Both of them were the type that always wanted to come out on top, I could tell that very easily. Yet, a small voice in me told me there was a little hope that this might work. _

_And it sure wasn't long till the two found out there was only one bell left…_

_

* * *

_

A/N: Review if yew want an update. And thanks [a lot lot lot lot loooot!] to everyone who already has! Yur reviews are my inspiration.


	4. Friends, Rivals, or just plain Enemies?

"…need some help?" A near silent unemotional voice murmured. Obito turned, having been lost for what seemed like hours, to meet eyes with his fellow teammate.

"Hmph. Like I need _your _help…" He scoffed, balling his fists beside him as he trudged on. Kakashi's apathetic expression went unchanging.

"There's only one bell left, you know." The Hatake whispered as though his words were worth nothing. Obito's eyes widened as he stopped, turning once more on his heel.

"Eh!? Who got one?! You or Rin?" He asked, astonishment rising with each syllable. The silver haired boy blinked at the other lazily, icy silver eyes boring into the other.

"Does it look like I have a bell?" The inquiry was so monochromatic that even Obito wondered if he were being sarcastic.

"Well, no…so, Rin got it? That's a surprise," The black-haired boy blushed, a slight smile perking his lips. "I always knew there was something special about her, though." Kakashi twitched slightly. Affection wasn't in his nature. Especially not towards a girl. He said nothing, allowing silence to fill the space between them. Obito's blush brightened as he looked away. "So, um…you gonna go get that bell?"

"…aren't you?"

The two looked at each other, a slight hint of competition sending sparks between them.

"Well, obviously. The one who doesn't get a bell doesn't pass." The Uchiha laughed cockily, feeling the rise of annoyance at the other in him. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"That's only if you can beat me."

Obito perked, eyes widening as the other spread into a taijutsu stance. "You've gotta be kiddin' me. We're gonna fight here in a field of flowers in the middle of no where?" The boy stiffened, recalling the last time they had sparred. If Minato hadn't have stopped them… "W-we can't, I mean, there's no one around. What if one of us gets hurt? Or, or, umm…" The Uchiha began to babble, nervousness rising in him. Kakashi spread his stance wider, putting the other's words in a standstill of shock.

"Human life comes second to completing the mission."

The iciness of the boy's words made Obito's eyes widen, each articulate syllable spawning a prickling electric sensation down the Uchiha's spine.

Kakashi squeezed both small fists in front of him. "If you don't fight back, you're gonna end up dead." Before the other could even comprehend the last of his words, Kakashi was on top of him, sending a rattling punch into the heart of the other's stomach, causing him to soar backwards and land in a heap in the flowers; a path of flattened weeds in his wake.

The Hatake didn't hesitate, making certain the moment he felt the other leave his knuckles to lunge forward after him. Obito opened both eyes, coughing violently, only to glimpse a flash of silver and black before being grabbed by the collar and thrown into the air. Kakashi jumped slightly with him in a semi-spin, allowing a kick to fall flat on the other's stomach mid-air, sending Obito to the ground once more face-down.

The boy choked, spurts of blood staining the dirt floor as Kakashi landed on him, the boniness of the Hatake's knee digging into the arch of his back. Obito barely had time to take a breath before the cold, metallic blade of a kunai was at his throat, forcing him to hold his head up in a rather painful position as he gasped for fresh air.

Kakashi hesitated, lazily looking down on the other below him as he allowed himself to slide off the boy and into a sitting position on him, straddling the boy's waist with both legs on either side.

"If you don't do something, I'll kill you." The monochromatic tone of the silver-haired genin sent a shiver through Obito's spine before a smile perked the Uchiha's lips, sending a choked laugh passed them. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"You really don't have a single friend, do you?"

The Hatake stiffened noticeably, eyes narrowing. "Friends are irrelevant." The boy gritted his teeth. "Friends breed emotion. Emotion breeds suffering. Why the hell would I want that?"

Obito let out a long sigh, looking up as much as he could muster at the other. "How can you say that when you've never even tried i-"

"Shut up!" The kunai drew closer, nicking the boys neck slightly. Obito let out a pained grunt, squeezing his eyes shut. "If I cared for someone else, no mission would ever get done properly. The mission always comes first." A hand squeezed at the back of the Uchiha's neck.

"You're kidding, right…?" The black-haired nin choked, allowing one eye to peek open as a weak smile drew his lips back once more. "Loving, caring…happiness…" There was a slight pause as the other closed his eye once more. "Isn't that what life's about?"

Kakashi remained silent, unmoving, till the other shifted slightly below him; a subtle, easy movement that sent no indications of struggle. The Hatake tensed regardless.

Obito twisted himself till Kakashi was sitting on his belly and the two locked eyes, a hand coming up to push the kunai away slightly. "You've gotta have cared for someone in your life, haven't you?"

Kakashi froze, eyes widening. Flashes of Sakumo entered his mind. The second he felt the burning of hot tears at the corners of his eyes, the silver-haired nin leapt off the other, trudging back aimlessly the way he had come, swaying slightly with each step. Obito sat up, running a hand along his sore throat.

"Oi!" He hollered. "You goin' for the bell or what?" Getting to his feet, the Uchiha ran after the other, slowing as he reached his teammates side.

There was a slight pause before he heard a light whisper on the breeze that made him stop in his tracks. "You can have it."

"Eh!? But, hey, wait a second! You were just about to kill me over that bell and now you're giving up? What gives?! Hey, Kakashi, I'm talking to yo-" A clearly unexpected punch gave Obito just barely enough time to block with both arms before opening both eyes wide at the other's furious expression. The Hatake said nothing, a trail of tears staining his onyx mask a raven hue. "Huh…Kaka…shi…?" Stunned into shock, Obito watched as his teammate turned and began to walk away, fists balled to the point of bleeding at his sides.

* * *

"So, where do you think they are, sensei?" Rin asked, tracing a circle in the dirt floor with a twig. Minato sighed, both cerulean orbs panning towards the bloody hue of evening.

"I don't know, but if either one wants to pass, they'd better hurry up," With a glance to the clock, the jounin calculated how much time remained. "They've only got just barely two hours left…"

* * *

"…so you really don't have any friends, do you?"

Kakashi didn't look back. The other was following at a far enough pace behind him to where he couldn't whip around and punch him again. He was lucky. Damn lucky. Kakashi would've knocked his lights out otherwise.

"Ne, Kakashi? Where do you think we are?"

Silence spread the length between them as the annoyance boiled in the silver-haired nin. It was true he hadn't an idea where he was going or where they were in general, but he had given up on the mission anyways so he didn't care not even in the least.

"…you're really boring, you know that? Maybe that's why you don't have any-"

"And you're really fucking annoying."

Obito stopped, blinking in surprise as he watched the other turn slowly to face him. "Well you obviously don't know how to hold a proper conversation, so I was just trying to-"

"Shut up."

The Uchiha propped his hands on his hips, huffing aggravatedly as the other began to walk again. "You know what, fine, if you seriously want to be that way, I'm gonna go find sensei and Rin." He paused for a moment, watching as the other took no notice of what he said. Slight tears welled in his eyes as Kakashi began to disappear from sight and he was left alone once more. "FINE!" He screamed. "SEE IF I CARE!" Running off in the opposite direction, Obito stifled cries in an attempt to act apathetic.

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head. "Idiot…" Walking slowly further on, it didn't take the genin long to find his way from the seemingly endless flower field. Looking back to the tall weeds, he couldn't help but furrow a brow at them. A pause allowed a beat to pass before the curse escaped his lips. "Goddamnit…"

* * *

"Don't need 'im…" Obito growled in an undertone, kicking a rock at his feet. Though he knew he was lost, he didn't seem to care. "Don't need him, don't need him." He repeated, balling both fists and punching the air with each reiterated fragment before suddenly feeling his fist collide with something solid. Looking up, he noticed Kakashi perched atop a boulder, holding his fist in a block in his palm. The Uchiha's eyes widened. "Kakashi…?" He asked slowly. "What're you…"

"Come on." The Hatake growled, jumping off the boulder and pulling the boy in the opposite direction.

Surprisingly enough, silence fell between the two; Obito obeying submissively as he was dragged along through the tall field till they reached a clearing. Thankful to be out of the towering weeds, the boy looked to Kakashi in slight gratitude.

"You know…" He started. "You really aren't that bad."

Kakashi simply stared at him, raising an eyebrow in question. Obito shrugged, looking to the sky. "I mean, you're straightforward and pushy and kinda annoying and way too silent and way too mature…but…" Taking a deep breath, the boy turned on his heel to look at the other, smiling broadly as he held out a hand. "Wanna be friends?"

Kakashi blinked, not having expected that in even the least bit. "…what?" He asked after a moment had passed. Obito rolled his eyes.

"You know. Friends? We're already acquaintances. And we're on the same team and all so we might as well get along…not to mention, you always look so lonely…" The last part had came out in a hushed undertone, but Kakashi had heard it nonetheless, causing him to blush slightly and look away, shifting uncomfortably in the awkward air.

"…I don't need friends…" He worded in a monotone. Only moments later did the Uchiha let out a groan of aggravation.

"Ugh, not that again. Come on, _everyone_ needs a friend! You know, someone to talk to? Hang out with? Someone to be there for you when something goes wrong? Something to love and live for…you gotta have someone like that in your life or else life just isn't worth it."

Kakashi looked up slightly, brows furrowing above both pained eyes. Obito grinned down at him, puffing out his chest proudly.

"If we can't be friends, let's at least be rivals, okay?"

The Hatake let out a sigh. This kid wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't agree to something. Though, the idea of having a friend… "I've already got a rival. Gai won't put up with me having another rival, I don't think." Slowly, his words faded as Obito let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He started. "So…friends, then?"

The Hatake took note of the boy holding out a hand to him. Shyly, he lifted a hand to hold the other's, hesitating several times in the process. Whence they made contact, Obito's already broad smile widened.

"Hehe. Knew it!" Without a moments hesitation, the Uchiha threw himself on Kakashi, jumping into a hug around him. The silver-haired nin stepped back slightly, stiffening in the other's embrace.

"Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Friendship initiation, duh!" Obito drew back, placing his hands on his hips. "Geez, you seriously _haven't_ had a friend in your life, have you? You've got _so_ much to learn, Kashi-nyan."

"…Kashi-nyan?"

"Nicknames, Kashi-nyan! Nicknames! It's essential to friendship! Until we can find you a better one from an inside joke or something, I'm gonna call you Kashi-nyan! This works both ways, though, You gotta keep an eye out for me, too! Hmm, what'll you call me? Oh! You can call me Obi-nyo! How's that sound, eh? Eh?"

The enthusiasm in the Uchiha's voice caused Kakashi to retreat slightly, taking several steps backwards as Obito spouted off his random ideas. Though the Hatake didn't understand what it all meant, it felt almost warming to him, almost causing the smallest of smiles to crease his lips upwards beneath his onyx mask. He hadn't smiled in so long it almost hurt to do so, as though his muscles were broken.

"The bell!" Obito's shrill voice cut into the other's thoughts, catching his attention once more.

"Bell?"

"Yeah, we gotta get the bell, remember? Come on, I bet if we tag-teamed sensei we could get it!"

"But…it's only one bell, only one of us will pass…" Kakashi began slowly.

"Oh, pssh. Wasn't it you who said the mission always comes first, Kashi-nyan? Wouldn't that apply to sacrificing something too?" Giving the silver-haired nin a smile, the genin began jogging. "Come on! Even if only one of us passes, it's better than none _and _we'll complete the mission. Besides…you're much better suited to be a ninja than me." The awkward laughter from the boy almost seemed unfitting to him as Kakashi caught up, cocking a brow at him.

Not knowing what to say, the boy turned his focus on sensing their sensei. Whence he had caught the familiar chakra wavelength, the Hatake took a sharp turn to the right. "This way." He commanded, speeding up. Obito nodded, following in his wake.

"Alright, Kashi-nyan." The Uchiha smiled. "What's the plan?"

* * *

_A/N: Like always, review if you want an update. Wow, it's been a while since I worked on this…lol._


	5. A Choice

A/N: Wow. I just realized I published this way back in 2006 and didn't start actually working on it till 2009...haha. Weird.

* * *

Glittering strands of golden caught the setting sun in a glint of blood red, staining the honey colouring a hue of crimson. Both cerulean blue eyes opened slowly, catching the maroon as well. As bored and tired of waiting as he was, for he hadn't any patience to speak of, the gaze into the distance was of serious descent.

"You okay, sensei?" A small voice asked beside him. Minato turned, blinking at the other, startled. He had forgotten she was there. As soon as it registered in his mind Rin was with him, the infamous fox-like grin wiped his expressionless lips right back up.

"I forgot you were here, Rin, sorry. Just…lost myself in thought. Eheh." He shrugged haphazardly, attempting to put things in the most simplistic of wording possible. Looking back to the distance, Minato let out a small sigh, muscles no longer able to hold the corners of his mouth up any longer. Rin pursed her lips at his side, understanding the underlying message in his words. Suddenly, both cerulean hues perked open. "Hey, Rin? Mind going back into the forest a bit? I don't want you getting hurt."

The kunoichi blinked, confused. "Huh?"

"They're here." He whispered, cracking his knuckles. Rin immediately got to her feet.

"Oh! Okay. Just don't forget to come get me, sensei!" She nodded with a smile, obeying as she leapt up into the trees and traipsed backwards further into the depths of shadowy emerald. Minato smiled in spite of himself, glancing at the clock.

"Just in time, too."

"KATON: GOUKAKYUU NO JUTSU!" The words echoed about the blonde as a rush of heat flew his way.

"Not bad, not bad." He laughed, leaping up into a graceful back-flip above the fireball and landing swiftly on both feet as a pair of Obito's rushed in his direction. "Hmm, kage bunshin? A little too classic for someone like you, Obito." As a set of fists came flying in his direction, Minato blocked endlessly as a slue of punches and kicks flowed at him. "Come on, you can do better'n that!" The blonde encouraged, laughter invading his syllables.

"Rrrrargh!" One of the two Obito's pulled back, reeling a punch as hard as he could at the man's privates, causing Minato to jump back suddenly in alarm, only to feel a fist to his back.

"Eh?" Turning back only slightly, a glint of metal caught his eye, pulling his view upwards to look at the rain of shuriken, kunai, and senbon from the treetops being thrown down by shadow clone. Suddenly, he felt the fist leave him and turned to see Kakashi springing backwards out of the way with Obito at his side as kunai, shuriken, and senbon rained in on him, slicing parts of his jounin vest and drawing a line of blood on his right cheek before he could whip out a kunai of his own and throw behind where Kakashi and Obito stood. "Hiraishin." He uttered, panicked.

Kakashi blinked as their sensei appeared behind them, using his chakra to re-lock onto the man, having lost his trail with the body flicker jutsu. Barely having time to turn, the boy pushed Obito to the side, jumping in his place above the leg that had come down in a side-sweep kick.

"Not bad, Kakashi." Minato smiled, proud of the quick-pace mind of his student.

_So, they finally figured it out. Well, heh, they probably didn't figure it out. But they're working together. This is new. I'm glad. Really glad. I'm so smart! Hehe, I can't believe this really worked! Who would've thought I could get a Hatake and an Uchiha to work together? Nevertheless, two that hate each other. Can't wait to tell Jiraiya-sensei!_

Bringing the man back to reality was Kakashi performing hand seals at a rapid pace. Minato smirked.

"Gotta be faster'n that!" Whilst growling the words to his student, the man pulled a transparent string from his holster, lathering the length of it in chakra and controlling it till it wrapped around Kakashi's wrists, holding them together and stopping the seals from completion.

"Don't worry, Kashi-nyan, I got this!" A voice called cockily. Kakashi sighed, noting the fact that Obito had just given away his whereabouts, having run off while the two were fighting. Minato must have sensed it too, for the man chuckled slightly, not bothering to look up to the treetops to see Obito standing proudly atop a branch.

"Kashi-nyan?" Minato asked, eyeing the genin he had trapped with an amused smirk. The Hatake looked to the side, avoiding eye contact as a hue of magenta stained what could be seen of his cheeks.

"…don't ask." He mumbled before Obito let out a holler as he leapt from the branches, attempting a round-house kick at their sensei.

"HIII~IIIYA!" The Uchiha serenaded, landing a kick on their sensei, who had oh-so-obviously allowed the boy to do so; obvious to everyone…_but_ Obito. "AHA!" He yelled, continuing with an onslaught of cocky punches and kicks. Minato dodged each with a smile, finding the boy quite entertaining. The Uchiha drew back, gritting his teeth, realizing the other wasn't taking him seriously. Just as soon as the aggravated expression had came, it left once more, replacing itself with a smile. Minato blinked, raising an eyebrow. "NOW!"

The blonde looked over as the Kakashi he had trapped disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Kage bunshin? When did he…? I didn't even notice. Is it possible to mask and replicate chakra that well? Damn, this kid is better than I thought… Oh well, at least they're working together…right? How old was this kid, again? 5? 6? Christ, even I wasn't that good at six._

As soon as the thought had left the man's mind, he felt a whoosh of air beside him, suddenly hearing the constant jingling from the bell dissipate. Wide-eyed, the man looked to the right, not having sensed a single thing.

There stood Kakashi, bell in hand, Obito at his side.

For a moment, Minato didn't move, stunned expression unchanging; then, his slightly open mouth closed and formed a smile. "I can't believe it." He chuckled, shaking his head. Obito's already broad smile widened proudly, chest puffing out in accomplishment. Kakashi stood at side, straightening slightly as a smile tempted itself behind his mask.

"Well…looks like Kakashi and Rin passed, huh, sensei?" The defeated aura in the Uchiha's normally chipper vocals caused Kakashi to look to his side, seeing the boy's smile waver. Minato's smile dropped slightly as he nodded, hands placing themselves on his hips.

"I gotta admit, though, you surprised me, Obito. You, too, Kakashi. The both of you did very well…especially together."

Obito bit his lower lip as he nodded. "Yep." There was a pause before the Uchiha looked from Kakashi to their sensei, then turned. "Guess I'll be going then. Tell Rin I said bye." He whispered, now pursing his lips. Kakashi looked towards the other as he began to walk then to Minato, eyeing him with confusion.

"Wait…you can't be serious about this passing thing." Kakashi growled. When their sensei said nothing, the boy sighed. "…if that's the case, Obito can have the bell."

Obito stopped, blinking as he turned to face Kakashi. "Huh? B-but I said you could have it! Like I said, you're much better suited to become a ninja than I am!"

"Just shut up and take it. I can learn on my own." The Hatake retorted, throwing the bell at him. Obito twitched noticeably as he caught it.

"No…you take it!" Then proceeded to throw the bell back at Kakashi, who threw it right back.

"Damnit, Obito, I'm fine on my own."

"Yeah, that's right. All alone. That'd be normal for you, wouldn't it? Why not try to interact with people for once huh? You take it!"

"Well maybe it'd be better for someone who's socially retarded to be on a team, eh?" Kakashi growled as Obito's eyes widened.

"What did you just say!? You wanna go!?" He hissed, approaching the other with balled fists. The Hatake widened his stance into a taijutsu stance.

"Fine with me." He huffed, clearly aggravated. As the other charged towards him, Kakashi began to run at him as well, cutting the distance between them to half and preparing to block head-on before the two felt themselves being lifted into the air apart from each other in sync with loud laughter.

"Huh?!" Obito yelled, struggling as Minato held the two up at arms length apart. The blonde couldn't help but continue laughing.

"Haha, alright, look, you convinced me…" He started, smiling widely at the two. "You both pass."

Kakashi and Obito looked at him, blinking. "Eh?" They sounded in harmony. Minato then proceeded to set them down, being sure the two were thoroughly stunned as to forget about the fight they were having prior.

"What? I said you both pass. Don't get it?" He asked, hands back on his hips.

"But, there was only one bell left…and…" Obito started as Kakashi huffed at his side, gritting his teeth behind his onyx mask.

"He planned it…"

Minato beamed, holding out a thumbs up to the two. "Bingo!"

"So…" Obito began, blinking in confusion. "We were all gonna pass even if we didn't get a bell…?" Kakashi rolled his eyes, noticeably annoyed.

"No, he planned it all to get us to work together, dimwit. If we hadn't have worked together, I bet none of us would have passed…but that doesn't explain Rin's situa-"

"Oh! Rin!" Minato suddenly exclaimed, eyes widening. "I'll be right back! Stay here! No fighting!"

Kakashi and Obito stood there a moment as their sensei bounded off into the forest.

"So this was just a test of teamwork then?" The Uchiha inquired.

"…yes." Kakashi growled, thankful the other finally understood. It only took that long before a kunai landed at their feet, a puff of yellow smoke revealing Minato with Rin on his back, smiling at them.

"Kakashi-kun! Obito-chan!" Rin exclaimed, jumping off their sensei and bounding to their side. "I knew you'd figure it out!" She smiled, hugging them both. Kakashi stiffened as he saw Obito blush bright red. This kind of contact was getting annoying.

"Yeah, good thing, too. You two passed with only two minutes to spare."

"What? Really? We cut it that close?" Obito gasped. Minato nodded as Rin let her teammates go.

"And you know why I made it at that time?" He asked, raising a brow.

The three stood there, confused, for a minute before Obito and Rin shook their heads.

"Cause I gotta be somewhere. Tomorrow, 9am sharp, training ground 7. Be there or I'll hunt you down, kay?" With that, the man disappeared in a whirlwind of pink sakura, leaving the three baffled genin standing there, being sure to take in the information thoroughly.

* * *

"'bout time you got here." A familiar voice sounded as the blonde sat down next to his teacher at a bar, flashing the white-haired man a smile.

"Tch. Gimme some credit, old man. I just passed three genin and initiated them into my team." The words came out in sync with the fox-like grin. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Did you? Do tell." He inquired, taking a sip of the mixed drink he had ordered for the both of them.

Minato took a breath excitedly. "Well, you know how Kakashi and Obito just don't get along? Or, in a sense, hate each other? Yeah, well, I thought of this epic plan to get them to work together and it worked!! It actually worked! They tag-teamed me and…and…" The blonde's words slowed as an hour-glass figure walked by them, a precious aroma circulating the two as a kunoichi sat down a few seats next to them. Both cerulean hues followed eagerly as she made her way, stopping the man mid-sentence. A flow of fiery red hair made the blonde's jaw drop. "…who…" He gasped, putting a hand towards his sensei who let out a small laugh.

"Uzumaki Kushina. She's pretty easy on the eyes, isn't she? And just around your age, too." The blonde could feel the other winking as he let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"She's…beautiful." Minato gasped, suddenly drawing back as he saw the woman glance at him and give him a small smile- right as he proceeded to spill the mixed drink over Jiraiya, who jumped back from the feeling of icy chill on his chest. "Oh mai gawd, I'm sorry!" Minato stuttered apologetically. The blonde heard a small giggle and looked over, noticing the girl looking directly at him now, hand over her mouth as she held back laughter. He blushed wildly, flashing a nervous smile towards her bashfully.

"…you're such a klutz when you see a pretty girl, you know that?"

Minato didn't listen to Jiraiya as the red-haired kunoichi pursed her lips and prowled towards the blonde, scooting two seats over till she was at his side, smiling.

"Hi."

The simple one-syllable introduction made the man's heart flicker like a seizure. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he straightened himself. "H-hoi?" He mumbled nervously, attempting to remember how to form the word 'hi' on his lips and failing miserably. The red-head only giggled more.

"Um, are you okay?" She asked between small fits of laughter. Minato pursed his lips, nodding.

"Y-yeah. O'course I'm okie."

Before the blonde could embarrass himself further, Kushina held a hand out. "I'm Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina. You are?" She asked, hints of sweetness riding on her voice.

"I are-" Minato started then shook his head. "I-I is Minayo. Nemikeza Minata." He stuttered, grabbing her hand on a second attempt and shaking enthusiastically. Jumping at the feel of a larger hand on his shoulder, the blonde recalled Jiraiya's presence.

"He means Namikaze Minato." The man winked. "And I do believe it's quite obvious he wants to get to know you."

Minato sat up straight, face flustered into deep hues of cherry as he let her hand go, flailing towards his sensei as Kushina allowed a slue of chuckles to shake her slender frame.

"I wouldn't mind that," She stated calmly, taking a sip from the wine she had ordered. "Especially since it's someone so cute…" Though she had shied away from the second half of her agreement, it still reached the blonde's ears, causing his entire body to burn with a needy sensation. Kushina blinked up at him bashfully. "I mean…if it's okay with you, Minato-kun?"

"He'd love to." Jiraiya improvised as Minato nodded along, pointing at his sensei as though to signal that's what he had wanted to say. The women couldn't help but smile.

"Hmm. Alright, then." She said, getting to her feet. "Meet me around 9am near Ichiraku's. You'll be up that early, won't you?"

Minato could only nod.

"Good…good. Seems like a weird time for a…a date, I know, but trust me. You'll love it." She winked, being sure to leave with a smile across her blushing face. The blonde continued to nod. "Hehe. See you tomorrow, Minato-kun."

As the man watched the curves whisk themselves from view, Minato fell limp onto his sensei. "Ohmaigawd."

Jiraiya only raised an eyebrow after glancing at the door Kushina had just left from. "Wish I could score a hottie like that. You lucked out, kiddo. Majorly." The blonde smiled smugly up at him, immersed in a pool of imaginative thoughts.

"Yeah…" Was all he could say till a dreamy sigh escaped his lips. "What's her name again?"

Jiraiya merely rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't you be getting home? If you're getting up at nine tomorrow you should be getting to bed. You know how you are without your sleep."

"Eh, they won't mind if I'm a little late."

Jiraiya blinked, brow furrowing. "They? I was talking about Kushina."

Suddenly, Minato sat up straight, eyes wide. "W-wait…oh god. I didn't…did I? Nine in the morning?" He stuttered, pulling at his golden locks. The sannin furrowed a brow.

"What are you talking about, Mina-chan?" The words barely left his lips before the blonde was tugging at him, throwing him back and forth in a panic.

"Same time!!" He yelled, attracting stares from passerby and customers.

"Same time?" Jiraiya questioned, placing his hands on his student's wrists as to calm him down.

"Um, sir?" The bar tender approached the two. "Could you possibly take your drunk friend back home? He's disturbing other customers…" Her voice was timid as she pursed her glossed lips at the two.

"Ahhhh, same time! What did I do!?" Minato yelled, completely absorbed in his own world.

"Ah, no, he's not drunk. Just distraught." The white-haired man corrected before getting to his feet and pulling at his students wrists. "C'mon, Mina-chan. We'll discuss this on the way back to your house."

As the blonde was pulled from his place at the bar, his mind began racing with thoughts. "I told my team to meet me at that time…" He explained briefly. Jiraiya nodded slowly as they exited the building.

"Well…looks to me like you're about to be forced to chose between a woman and your team. And if it were me, I'd take the woman."

* * *

A/N: Ahh…poorly written chapter ftw?…ugh. I guess I just wanted it done. Maybe I'll rewrite this someday when I feel like it. Lol. Review if you want an update.


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